Small World!

On August 12th I was in Philly with my parents and Whit, and as part of our "alone time" I was watching a random YouTube video.  It was one of members of the Air Force performing Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." I started watching it because I love the song, and party because I really like to watch military videos that make me cry (sad I know haha).  This one didn't make me cry, but I turned on the song, listened to the whole thing while I was checking my email, and even sent it to my friend on Facebook.

This morning I woke up and was checking my email.  I somehow managed to make it to Facebook and saw my high school band teacher's status that said, "Someone just recognized me in the airport. Now that is funny! They were playing the YouTube video on their phone. Sherry is with me. I bet she thinks I'm really cool now! Hehe. So amusing" 

Now, me being the creeper that I am, I had to know what video he was talking about.  I looked on his page and saw the video, and couldn't believe it! It was the one I had watched a month ago! I watched it again today and I seriously don't know how I didn't see him the first time, other than I didn't really think I would know anyone in the video.  I called my mom today and told her that there was a video that some Air Force members made and that Mr. C was in it playing guitar, and her response was, "Well, he IS in the Air Force." haha I thought it was a really small world, the video is awesome too.  Their band is named Sidewinder, and tomorrow they are going to be on the Ellen Degeneres Show.  I thought it was pretty cool that I know him! 

This is another video that I saw today, it is way sweet.  It is "Stand By Me" and it is a combination of different street performers around the world.  It is really cool. Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf

?clip_id=2539741 

Is it seriously already September!?

I can't believe how fast the summer flew by. Seriously, it amazes me. So after Philadelphia we went to Cape Cod and had a good time there, the weather was perfect, Whit has pictures on that.  Then our last stop was Boston.  I loved that city.  We took a trolley around most of the city and then walked a lot of it.

Anna and I in Boston

We were also able to meet up with one of my favorite college roommates from Idaho, Anna, and her husband.  We went to lunch with them and it was so good to see her after three years, and makes me feel incredibly old!  I flew out the next morning 5 hours before Whitni and my parents, and still got to Seattle within 5 minutes of them with my layover in New Jersey.

Mom, me, Whit, and Jen after the play

When we got to Seattle we stayed a few days to go to Les Miserables.  It was amazing, mom got second row tickets and we went with my cousin Jen.  I love broadway, and am seriously amazed when they can sing like that. Whit and I stayed home for a few days and got to go up to Stehekin with my dad and Rock, go jet skiing and tubing with Brian Richardson (I forgot how sore/beat up you can get from tubing!)  Whit and I were on the tube, with Aaron and Brian pulling us.  Aaron was whipping around and going insanely fast while Whit and I were trying to keep the tube from flipping.  Whit's foot hit the water, and she flew off, leaving me on the tube by myself.  That didn't last long, and I FLEW off, skidding on the water like it was pavement! Haha my swimsuit bottoms were at my ankles (seriously! haha) when I stopped.  It was so embarrassing/hysterically funny/painful. I felt like I had been in a car accident but Whit and I couldn't stop laughing! Haha Later that night we went bowling with Brian and Katie and a bunch of their friends.  It was lots of fun.

The next morning Whit and I made the drive down to Utah again, and got in to our new apartment! It is SO CUTE! It's three stories and seriously adorable. I love it. We're living with Stacey Johnson (who we have been friends with for a while) and Elizabeth Allen.  She's from Vegas and really fun. The ward is great, very social, and our friends Chris and Aaron live seriously right across from us, probably 10 feet, if that.

 I started another semester, and I can't believe that I only have 8 more months of school in Salt Lake before I graduate!!! I'm so excited.  I'm doing clinicals at Timpanogos Hospital in Orem again, this time for Med/Surg.  I'm also taking Pharm 2 which should be good.  I'm looking forward to this semester though! :)

Snakes in the Park

I am afraid of snakes. Seriously, I hate them. So when Whit, my dad and I were in the park in Philadelphia and I saw a man holding two boa constrictors, the last thing was that I wanted to hold one.  As we got closer to the man, he asked if we wanted to, and Whitni and I both said yes. WHAT?! He put one on Whit and then put one on me (I didn't want to be left out!) and I didn't cry! It kept dropping off my shoulder and wrapping around my waist, which gave me the creeps but it was so worth it.  Definitely something I haven't done in like fifteen years or so when my cousin Travis had his boa. I still hate snakes, but at least I know I can deal with my fears. :)

Whitni getting her snake wrapped around her shoulders, I'm a little freaked out. 

Getting my snake...it was HUGE! It grossed me out.

He made fun of me for holding his hand, when I was supposed to hold the snake...I was too flustered to know what I was supposed to be doing!

We did it! Notice my waist and the snake creeping around.

Elder Ascanio

Last year Whit and I were playing catch outside her apartment when Derek (one of our friends) came out with his roommate (Javier, who was Whit's home teacher) to play with us. I knew him as the white kid with the Hispanic name at first. I never would have guessed then how close we'd become. He's opening his mission call tonight in Texas with his family, and I've been lucky enough to see him change and grow spiritually this last year and a half, especially in the last six months.  He is someone I can trust because he is honest. His parents raised a very respectable and sincere young man who has taught me more than he realizes. The people he will be serving while on the mission are incredibly lucky. 

Congrats Javi, you're my favorite Cuban! :) 

Me, Javi, Junior, and Pepe at the airport dropping Javi off

After our goodbye dinner at Tucanos

Whit, Javi and I at the Riverwoods

Javi and I

This is my fake sad face, I'm really super excited for him. :)

Home

I've been super busy with psych clinicals and trying to get paperwork and everything done this last week, which means I am SO ready to go home now. I can't wait to spend the weekend with my family at the England reunion.  Someone asked what we do at our reunions and I told them talk, swim in the lake, and eat. And I get to see Lindsea and have much needed sister bonding time (Kellie included!)

 I met a guy this last weekend who wasn't the coolest, and we had the this conversation. 

DB: So what part of Lake Chelan do you live on?

Me: Manson. 

DB: I totally vacation there! 

Me: Yeah!? It's so pretty, I love it. 

DB: (pulls out his phone and starts showing me pictures of the road up to Antilon, Wapato Point, and finally Blueberry Hills.) Do you know where this is? 

Me: YES!! That is seriously right up the road from my house! 

DB: Ha really? Funny story, as we were driving there we were saying how much we'd hate to live out here. 

Seriously a DB. 

But I am so excited to be going home!!!

Summer in Provo

I know I haven't blogged for about two months, so I'll try to catch up real quick.  

Rest of May: Our good friend Zach left on a mission! He's still at the MTC so it's kinda weird he's so close and we can't hang out, but he leaves to New York this week.  We had a fun bon fire to say goodbye. Then Pepe, Javier, Stacey, Whit and I went on a weekend trip to Moab! It was sooo much fun. Definitely one of the most fun trips I've been on.  We hiked around Arches National Park and took a 12 mile primitive trail where we almost died (not really, but it was getting dark and we didn't have food or water, pretty smart of us), but it was so worth it. 

June: School, school, school.  I did my mother/baby clinical rotations and LOVED it.  I did night clinicals and enjoyed labor/delivery the most.  I was able to see a vaginal birth and a C-section.  The C-section definitely grossed me out a little more, just because the doctors were yanking her stomach open to grab the baby. Seriously crazy.  Another friend Brock left for home before his mission and we were able to have another bon fire to say goodbye to him, complete with a creeper hiding in the bushes. Stacey also went home for the summer, which was a bummer. I can't wait to room with her this fall! And I did my pediatric clinicals at Shriner's hospital and did a Head Start clinic which was pretty fun. I was in the operating room at Shriner's and it was SO boring. I know I don't want to be a scrub nurse, interacting with the patients is so much more my style. And my mommy came to visit! It was fun for me to have her meet the people I talk about all the time. 

July: Basically just hanging out, doing school, enjoying the warmth (most of the time).  It's been kinda gross weather but oh well.  I've also been doing psych clinicals at a residential treatment facility for teenage boys.  It's seriously insane there. It's a lockdown facility and the things those boys have been through and done is horrible.  I have definitely had my eyes open to crazy things, some of the charts are super disturbing.  I really enjoy being able to help those boys though.  One came to talk to me about a problem he was having and he totally trusted me.  It was a very cool experience.  

I get to go home next weekend for my family reunion and I am so excited to be able to swim in the lake and enjoy family.  Last time I was home it rained the WHOLE time. I can't wait. :) And I get to see Lindsea! It's been too long. Then school will be done and I'll be off to Boston for 10 days with my parents and Whit. Then it's only two more semesters to go! I am over halfway done with nursing school, which seriously blows my mind.  There is an end in sight! :)

It's my mommy's birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! I'm grateful for everything you've sacrificed for me.  I love you soo much! I hope you have a great day!